CHARLOTTE, N.C. — With the NBA trading deadline less than a week away, Dwight Howard remains Plan A for the Nets. But if that doesn’t happen, there are contingencies, including being sellers or buyers, depending on the landscape.
Back up a bit. During his “I come in peace” multiple-press conference day in New York on May 19, 2010, Nets Russian billionaire owner Mikhail Prokhorov was asked about the then-upcoming free agency market and how he would handle rejection by members of the most sought-after class ever.
“If you have Plan B and Plan C, you’re all the time relaxed,” Prokhorov said.
When Prokhorov exited a meeting with LeBron James after flying from Russia to Cleveland on July 1, 2010, he expressed hope the Nets could land the biggest prize. But if they couldn’t, Prokhorov stressed other contingencies.
“I have a Plan A, a Plan B and a Plan C. Plus,” Prokhorov said confidently that day. “I’m sure the team will be great.”
Well, plan A was LeBron. Didn’t happen. Plan B was Rudy Gay. Didn’t happen. Plan C, apparently, was Travis Outlaw and Johan Petro and Jordan Farmar and Anthony Morrow. Everyone still is awaiting greatness.
So Prokhorov and the Nets — who beat the Bobcats 83-74 Friday night — always plot Plans B and C. They might not turn out all that swell, but that is the thinking in the organization, the strategy general manager Billy King alluded to in Miami last week when he addressed Brook Lopez’s latest injury.
“It’s about trying to add to this team,” King said. “We’ll look at other things that I was already talking about doing with other teams. Had some things on the table that I’m exploring that will maybe create more cap space for us in the future, maybe bring some more players or some key pieces as we go forward,” King said.
Of course, Howard is Plan AAA. If the Nets get him now, everybody in the organization can be “all the time relaxed.” Summer free agency likely constitutes Plans AA and A. So B and C, for now, could be to buy or sell by Thursday.
On the Howard front, the Magic clearly need to make the decision to trade him or risk losing him in free agency. League sources maintain the Magic will hold out and not deal if they see any glimmer of hope Howard will choose to remain with them.
But with the Nets suddenly feeling a renewed sense of playoff hope — and that is provided by two wins in three games, an on-paper favorable schedule break for them and a brutal stretch for opponents like the Knicks (Sixers, at Bulls, Blazers, Pacers) and Celtics (eight-game road trip starting out west). So there is the sense if by Thursday’s deadline they have improved in the standings, they could be buyers for an expiring contract.
Minnesota’s Michael Beasley has been mentioned and the Nets have spoken with the Timberwolves. Beasley is a young talent, has a $6.2 million expiring contract and is represented by Jeff Schwartz, who is also Deron Williams’ agent. So an initial courtesy call may have turned into interest.
That’s on the buying front. On the selling front, the Nets are loaded with expiring contracts — Mehmet Okur ($10.9 million), DeShawn Stevenson ($2.5 million), Damion James ($1.2 million) plus Sundiata Gaines and Shelden Williams (both $854,389). Kris Humphries at $8 million must approve any deal. Again, there are options and any success against the Bobcats here last night, then at home against Milwaukee and Toronto is key.
“We’ve been looking at it,” DeShawn Stevenson said of the standings, where the Nets entered last night 5¹/₂ games behind the eighth-place Knicks. “Coach [Avery Johnson] has this thing where we’ve got to win seven out of 10 games. … Ever since coach has been saying that, we’ve been playing harder, so it’s on our minds so that’s definitely a goal.”
fred.kerber@nypost.com